The Fangirl Files Adventure 1: Hostiles at Hogwarts
by numba1fangirl
Summary: Maria is a dimension hopper which means she can jump between the dimensions and thus visit different fandoms. This is her adventures in the Harry Potter universe. THIS FIC IS PART OF A SERIES! Next fic: The Fangirl Files Adventure 2: The Case of the Dimension (Sherlock)
1. Chapter 1: The Hogwarts Express

Chapter 1: The Hogwarts Express

Maria stepped onto the train and found a seat. Starting over was always difficult, but this time was different. She had people following her and she was just praying they wouldn't figure out which dimension she had gone to.

Maria was a dimension hopper, always going from dimension to dimension without being able to call anywhere home. She had been born that way and so that was the way her life had always been.

Her only companion in all this was her animal Thatcher. The type of animal Thatcher was changed every time they hopped dimensions, so Maria didn't know what kind of creature he actually was. In this dimension, though, he was an owl and as the train pulled out of the station, he slept soundly in his cage with his beak buried in his tawny feathers.

Despite everything, Maria did have hope that this new life would be better. She was on a planet called Earth in a place called Great Britain and the train she was on was taking her to a school called Hogwarts where she would be learning magic. At least the planet and the country were familiar to her. They directly correlated with the planet and country she had just left in the last dimension. However, where she was now was definitely an improvement. In the last dimension, stories about all the other dimensions were written down and called fictional. It was very difficult for Maria, who had lived in many of those dimensions, to pretend that they weren't true in order to avoid being thrown in a mental hospital.

Maria opened her magic trunk and took out her hand mirror. Apparently in this dimension she was about eleven or twelve years old. Her eyes scanned over her messy brown hair and the freckles sprinkled across her cheeks before she finally looked herself in the eyes. They were light blue and bloodshot with bags hanging under them. Dimension hopping always took a lot out of her, not to mention the fact that she hadn't slept in about a day and a half.

Sighing and setting down the mirror, she began to rummage through her trunk to see what was in there. The reason she didn't already know what was in the trunk was because it was magic and every time she hopped dimensions its contents and appearance would change according to what she would need to fit in there. This time, the trunk contained a few sets of black robes, a long wooden stick that she assumed was a magic wand, several spell books, a few quills, some parchment, a few bottles of ink, and various other magical objects.

Maria closed the trunk and put it away before leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes. Maybe she could just take a little nap before they arrived. But just as her eyes closed, someone slid open the compartment door, making her jump.

The person at the door was a young girl about Maria's age with long blond hair and green eyes. She poked her head around the doorway, looking extremely shy.

"Hello," said Maria, trying to sound cheerful.

"Hello," the girl replied in a small voice. "I was wondering if I could sit here."

"Sure," Maria told her. "I'm Maria by the way."

"Lucille," replied the blond girl as she dragged her trunk through the door and sat down across from Maria. "Is this your first year, too?"

Maria nodded. "I have no idea what to expect."

"My sister Cynthia is a third year and she says it's amazing," Lucille assured her. "I just hope I don't get sorted into Slytherin."

"Slytherin?"

"Oh you must be a muggle-born," said Lucille. "Slytherin is one of the four Hogwarts houses. We get sorted into one of them when we arrive. The other three are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw."

"Well why don't you want to be in Slytherin?" Maria asked.

"Slytherins have a reputation for turning out the most dark wizards," Lucille answered. "And everyone thinks they're really mean. They say that their good qualities are like ambition and cunning or something, but I don't know."

"Well what house do you want to be in?"

"I want to get sorted into Ravenclaw because Ravenclaw is the smartest house," Lucille replied. "Besides, that's the house my sister, my mother, and my father are all in."

"What about the other houses?" Maria asked.

"Gryffindors are brave and loyal, but Cynthia says they can be a bit self-righteous and proud. And Hufflepuffs are patient and humble I think, but Cynthia says that no one really notices them."

Maria knew there was probably more to the houses than what this eleven-year-old first year could tell her, but she just nodded and sat back in her seat. Just then the trolley came buy carrying all sorts of sweets.

"Anything off the trolley dears?" asked the old lady who was pushing it. Maria slipped her hand into her pocket where she usually kept her money and pulled out a little cloth pouch with leather drawstrings. Inside were gold, silver and bronze coins she didn't recognize.

Lucille cheerily picked sweets off the cart as Maria looked at everything. There were chocolate frogs, pumpkin pasties, cauldron cakes, and a lot of other things she had never heard of.

"How much for this?" Maria asked, holding up a box of something called Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans. To Maria they just looked like jelly beans. She remembered jelly beans fondly from the last dimension she'd been in, so it was comforting that this dimension had something similar.

"Three Sickles," the trolley lady answered brightly. Maria poured a few coins into her hand and then looked at them in dismay. Some of the coins were large and gold, others were small and bronze, and there were also silver ones that were in between, but she had no idea which ones were Sickles.

"Oh I forgot you're a muggle-born," Lucille chimed in. "So you're probably not used to the money yet."

"You keep calling me that, but I don't know what it means," said Maria.

"It just means you have non-magic parents," she explained. "The silver ones are Sickles, the gold ones are Galleons, and the bronze ones are Knuts. There are 29 Knuts to a Sickle and 17 Sickles to a Galleon."

"Thanks," said Maria as she counted out three silver coins and gave them to the trolley lady.

"You're brave for trying Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, by the way," Lucille said offhandedly as she plopped back down in her seat.

Maria hesitated in the middle of opening the box. "Why?"

"Because they're not joking when they say 'every flavour'. I mean, they have nice flavours like apple, bacon, and toffee, but they also have nasty flavours like dirty sock, earwax, and vomit."

"Well here goes nothing." Maria reached in and picked out a white one. After popping it into her mouth, she began to chew as Lucille watched in suspense.

"Marshmallow," Maria announced after a second or two.

Lucille grinned. "Lucky first choice," she said before taking a bite out of a pumpkin pasty. "Now try another one," she urged.

Getting braver, Maria picked a red one.

"Careful!" Lucille warned. "That one might be spicy!"

"I think I'll risk it," Maria answered as she put it in her mouth and started to chew. "I think it's spaghetti."

"Wow you've gotten lucky so far!" Lucille said with surprise. "Wanna try a third?"

"Alright here I go." Maria reached into the box for a third time and pulled out a green bean. She hesitated before putting it into her mouth as Lucille chewed her pumpkin pasty in suspense. "Eww it's bogey flavoured!"

Lucille burst into laughter as Maria spit out the bean and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I knew trying for three in a row was pushing your luck!" she giggled.

For the rest of the ride they took turns trying beans and Lucille let Maria have one of her Cauldron Cakes. It was the fastest Maria had ever made a friend in a new dimension.


	2. Chapter 2: The Sorting

Chapter 2: The Sorting

When the Hogwarts Express finally pulled to a stop in the station, Maria hopped off the train with Lucille, eager to find out what Hogwarts was like. She'd seen a glimpse of it from the train and was surprised to find out that the school was actually a castle.

"Firs' years, follow me!" bellowed a giant man with a wild mane of dark brown hair.

"Hello Hargid!" piped a black haired first year.

"Hello there, Albus!" the giant man replied in his big, deep, voice. "You look jus' like yer dad did on his firs' day o' school. I remember it like it was yesterday. Now follow me everybody!" Maria and Lucille followed behind Albus and Hagrid along with all the other first years, trying to keep up with Hagrid's giant steps as he lit the way with his lantern.

Eventually they made it to a lake where several row boats were waiting to take them across. Maria climbed into one with Lucille and Albus and as soon as they were seated, the boats began to glide across the water towards the waiting castle.

Once the boats made it to the opposite shore, they all clambered out and followed Hagrid up the steps, through the enormous front doors, and into a large entry hall where a small old man was waiting for them.

"Hello! I am Deputy Headmaster Barnabus Fizzle and also the head of Hufflepuff House," he greeted them cheerily. "In a moment, I will lead you through those doors into the Great Hall where you will be sorted into your houses. The four houses are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Your house will be like your family here at Hogwarts. During the year, you will be awarded points for excelling, but if you break the rules, you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will win the House Cup and get bragging rights until the next House Cup is awarded. I'm sure you will all love it here at Hogwarts. Now please, follow me."

The Great Hall was a huge room with four long tables filled with students and a fifth table at the head of them all that was filled with teachers. Candles floated in the air and ghosts were gliding around. Maria looked up when she heard someone mutter something about an enchanted ceiling and gasped. It didn't look like there was a ceiling; instead it looked like the Great Hall was just open to the night sky.

Professor Fizzle led the first years to a stool that was sitting in front of the teacher's table with a very old, raggedy, worn-out, pointed, wizard's hat on top of it. Gesturing for the students to stop, the professor watched the hat in anticipation. Looking around, Maria realized that everyone was looking at the hat expectantly. Suddenly, a tear in the front of it opened up like a mouth and the hat began to sing.

_Welcome first years, one and all_

_Today is your big day._

_For today's the day that you will find_

_The House in which you'll stay._

_The four founders of this fine school_

_Each valued different traits_

_And so they created me_

_So I could decide your fate._

_Perhaps you are a Gryffindor_

_Whose courage knows no bounds._

_Where the daring and the chivalrous_

_Always can be found._

_Or maybe you're a Hufflepuff_

_Where they are just and true._

_It's there you'll find that patience is_

_The greatest of the virtues._

_You might belong in Ravenclaw_

_Where can be found the cleverest minds._

_The thing they value most of all_

_Is learning of any kind._

_Possibly you're a Slytherin_

_Where they are cunning and ambitious._

_They may be power-hungry, yes,_

_But also quite tenacious._

_There is nothing in your head that I can't see,_

_No secret you can hide._

_So put me on your head and find out_

_Just what I decide._

The hat finished its song and was quiet again. Then the whole school burst into thunderous applause. After the applause died down, Professor Fizzle stepped forward and stood next to the stool, pulling a scroll out of his robes.

"When I call your name," he began, "you will sit on the stool and I will put the hat on your head. Once you are sorted, you will go and sit with your house. Let's begin. Abernathy, Dorris?"

A small, red-headed girl walked sheepishly up to the stool and Professor Fizzle placed the hat on her head. There was a few moments of silence and then, "GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted. The table on the far right cheered loudly. Dorris jumped down from the stool, grinning widely, and ran to join them.

The sorting went on like that for a while with the hat calling out houses and the corresponding table cheering like crazy. Then finally, Maria's name was called.

"Moore, Maria." Suddenly Maria was very nervous. She didn't know why. She'd faced far worse before. But somehow the idea of sitting on that stool in front of everyone and getting sorted was terrifying. Nevertheless, she took a few shaky steps forward and lifted herself onto the stool. Professor Fizzle put the hat on her head and it slid down over her eyes, screening the Great Hall from view.

_"Interesting,"_ said the hat's voice inside her head. _"I've never seen a head like yours. The things you've seen, the things you've done. It'll be difficult placing you. Why look at this. You've had a dark past, haven't you? Innocent may be a relative term in your case. But where should I put you? You've definitely got the bravery of a Gryffindor, no doubt about that. But your patience, dedication, and loyalty have made my decision. _HUFFLEPUFF!" The last word was said for the whole Great Hall to hear and as the hat was taken off her head, Maria could see the table just to her left cheering and applauding. She hopped down from the stool and went to sit down with her new house mates to watch the rest of the sorting.

A few more names were called and then, "Potter, Albus."

The whole hall was hushed with expectation, so Maria looked quizzically over at an older student who leaned over and whispered, "That's Harry Potter's son. Harry's famous for defeating the most powerful dark wizard of all time and he did it when he was just a teenager."

Albus stepped up to the stool, looking even more nervous than Maria had. The hat dropped over his eyes and a few seconds later the hat had made its decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!" Beaming with relief, Albus went to join his fellow Gryffindors in the table next to Maria's.

The sorting continued and then finally it was Lucille's turn.

"Salamandy, Lucille." Lucille stepped up to the stool and Professor Fizzle placed the hat on her head. But he had barely let go of it before it yelled, "RAVENCLAW!"

Lucille was positively glowing with pride as she went to join her table.

When the sorting was finally finished, the Headmaster stood up to say a few words.

"Welcome back for another exciting year at Hogwarts. I am Headmaster Porpington, a descendant of our very own Sir Nicholas," he said, gesturing to one of the ghosts sitting at the Gryffindor table. "And now for a few reminders. The forest is strictly forbidden, which is why we call it the Forbidden Forest. Trust me when I say that you do not want to run into some of the creatures that are in there. Also, I would like to remind you that dueling in the corridors is against school rules and could result in loss of points and even detention. Now let the feast begin!"

Suddenly the plates and cups were filled with all sorts of delicious food. Maria hadn't even realized how hungry she was until this moment. After piling her plate full of food, she began to dig in, deciding that she was definitely going to like it here. As she ate, she began to talk to her fellow Hufflepuffs and she discovered that they were the friendliest group of people she had ever met. Their house ghost was a jolly, round fellow known as the Fat Friar and his light-hearted laughter added to Maria's feeling of content and happiness. The whole experience worked like magic, making her forget all her worries for the time being.

After the feast, the prefects led the first years to the dormitories. The entrance to the Hufflepuff dormitory was just below the Entrance Hall by the kitchens and a certain barrel needed to be tapped a certain way in order to get in. Maria just hoped she could remember it because apparently anyone who did it wrong got doused in vinegar.

Inside, the common room was perfectly cozy with armchairs, a fireplace, and plants hanging everywhere. The whole place had a fresh, earthy smell to it and everything was yellow and black, the house colors. The dormitories were nice and cozy, too, with soft, yellow quilts covering all the beds. Maria found that her stuff had already been brought in and was waiting for her at the end of one of the beds.

Maria smiled to herself as she got ready for bed and curled up under her quilt, excited for what life in this new dimension might bring.


	3. Chapter 3: The Teacher

Chapter 3: The Teacher Who wasn't a Teacher

Soon life at Hogwarts started becoming pretty routine for Maria and for the first time in a long time, she was happy. Every morning she would wake up and cross through the Entrance Hall and into the Great Hall for breakfast. Then she would go to her classes which were very fascinating even if they were a bit difficult at times. Her favorite class was Transfiguration, which the Hufflepuffs had with the Ravenclaws, so she got to sit with Lucille. In Herbology, which she had with the Gryffindors, she sat next to Albus and his cousin Rose. And all four of them would go and visit Hagrid together in their free time. After a while, Maria began to let herself hope that the people chasing her would never find her.

But of course, all good things had to come to an end.

"Albus, just because Uncle Harry got to be a Seeker in his first year doesn't mean they'll let you," Rose was telling Albus one day as they walked home from Hagrid's hut.

"A boy can dream, can't he?" Albus replied with a shrug. "What about you, Maria? Would you try out for Quidditch if you could?"

"No," she responded. "I don't think I'd be any good at it."

"I'd be a Chaser if I could," Lucille chimed in. "Everyone thinks the Seekers are so great, but I think being a Chaser would be the most fun, don't you think? Weaving in and out of players, stealing the Quaffle from the other team, trying to get it past the Keepers. It's a lot more active than being a Seeker who sits on their broom half the game and only really moves when they see the Snitch."

By then they were entering the Entrance Hall and Maria was about to break away from the group to head to her common room when she saw someone that made her freeze. At the other end of the hall, a man was going up the steps. A man with a crescent-shaped scar on his cheek.

"Maria, what's wrong?" Albus asked when he noticed the horrified expression on her face.

"Nothing," she assured him, forcing herself to look away from the man. "I'm fine."

Albus turned to see what she had been looking at. "That's just the Muggle Studies professor," he said.

"I-I know," Maria stammered. "Never mind. I'll see you tomorrow." Then with one last glance at the man with the scar, she turned and dashed to the common room.

Once she was in her bed, she just stared at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. To the others, that man might be just the Muggle Studies professor, but she knew who he really was. His crescent-shaped scar gave him away. He was one of the people she was running from.

That night she didn't get any sleep. She just sat in her bed stroking Thatcher's feathers and thinking about how her life in this dimension was going to end soon.

The next morning at breakfast, she saw him sitting at the staff table. _"How could I have never noticed him before?"_ she thought to herself. She kept glancing over at him as she picked up a piece of toast, not really intending to eat it. The truth was she had no appetite because she was internally panicking over the fact that she could be found any second.

"Hey." The voice made her jump so high she knocked over some juice, which a nearby fifth year quickly cleaned up with magic.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Maria scolded after she turned around and found out the voice belonged to Albus. He was standing in the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables and looking at her with concern.

"Sorry. Are you alright?" he asked. "You keep glancing at the Muggle Studies professor and it looks like you've seen a ghost. Well, besides the castle ghosts. You know what I mean."

"I'm fine," she assured him. "Don't worry about me. See you in Herbology." Then she hurriedly got up and ran out of the Great Hall.

That day during class, Maria couldn't focus at all. In Herbology, Professor Longbottom had to call her name several times before she realized he was talking to her and in Potions she nearly blew up her cauldron because she put in the wrong ingredient. Not to mention the fact that she'd had to take a detour to avoid running into the Muggle Studies professor which made her late for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

By the end of the day, she decided that this dimension was too dangerous with the scar-faced man around. After her last class, she tried running straight to her dormitory to get her stuff instead of meeting up with her friends, but when she got to the bottom of the steps, they were all waiting for her, blocking the entrance to the common room.

"Hey," Maria greeted them awkwardly.

"Hello," said Lucille. "You weren't gonna come meet us, were you? You were just gonna ditch us."

"No! I wasn't! I was just…"

"Maria, you've been acting really weird lately and it's worrying us," Rose said with concern. "Just tell us what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong!" Maria insisted. "I'm fine!"

"Come on, Maria!" Albus cried. "Don't try to lie to us! We're not blind! So just tell us what's going on! We want to help."

Maria shook her head and forced herself to choke back tears. How was she going to be able to just leave these guys behind? How could she ever say goodbye? She'd tried to sneak away without saying anything, but now that looked to be impossible. One thing was for sure: she could never tell them the truth. How could she ever expect them to understand? How could she even expect them to believe her?

"I can't tell you," she told them finally, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes.

"What do you mean you can't tell us?" Lucille demanded.

"Maria," Albus said gently, stepping forward and placing his hand on her shoulder. "You can trust us. You can tell us anything."

Maria shook her head. "You won't believe me."

"Try me."

"It's a long story."

"We've got time," said Rose.

Maria sighed. "Alright. But we've got to find someplace more private."


	4. Chapter 4: Dalcina

Chapter 4: Dalcina

"Follow me," Albus told them. "I know the perfect place." He led them out onto the grounds to the Whomping Willow, stopping just outside its reach.

"Albus, this is the Whomping Willow; we can't talk here," Lucille protested.

"Just trust me. You'll see," he answered vaguely as he searched the ground.

"What are you looking for?" asked Maria.

"A rock," he replied as he knelt down and picked one up. "I'm gonna throw it because we need to push that knot on the trunk without getting killed by the tree."

"I have a better idea," Maria told him. She put her fingers to her lips and whistled loud and long. A few moments later they could see Thatcher approaching, flying down from where he'd been resting in the owlery. Maria held out her arm for him to land on and he affectionately nipped at her ear.

"Good idea!" Rose exclaimed. "Thatcher can push the knot for us!"

"Ok, Thatcher," Maria said. "We just need you to go and push that knot on the tree trunk over there. But be careful. The tree likes to hit things."

Thatcher hooted in understanding before taking off, gliding gracefully over to the knot and pressing it with his beak.

"Ok let's go," Albus instructed, walking confidently towards a hole at the base of the Whomping Willow's trunk.

"Um, are you sure we won't get hit?" Lucille asked nervously. "What if it starts moving again? How long before it wears off?"

"I don't know, so I suggest you hurry up and follow me before we find out," Albus retorted. They all followed him to the hole and climbed through it into an underground tunnel.

"Where does this tunnel lead?" Maria asked after they'd been walking for a while. "And how did you even find it?"

"It's an old family secret," Albus answered. "James has a magical map of the school that was passed down to him from our father which was passed down to him from _his_ father and his friends who were the ones who created it. It's called the Marauder's Map. Anyway, since James hogs it all the time, I don't know all of the secret tunnels in the school, but I do know this one. It leads to the Shrieking Shack in Hogsmeade.

"You mean we're _leaving_ _school grounds_?" Lucille said in disbelief. "If we're caught, we could get in so much trouble! Maybe we should go back."

"Don't be such a stick in the mud, Lucille," Rose told her. "No one's going to catch us. Besides, this is important and we've already made it this far."

The tunnel ended and they entered a room with boarded up windows and dust everywhere. Every single piece of furniture was broken.

"Lumos," Lucille muttered, lighting up her wand. "Alright, now you have to tell us."

"Ok, but you probably won't believe me," Maria said.

"Tell us anyway," Albus insisted.

"Alright. Well first off, I'm not from this world." Maria paused to see their reactions, but mostly they just stared at her blankly.

"What exactly does that mean?" asked Rose.

"It means that I'm from another dimension," Maria explained. "I'm not human. I'm from a planet called Dalcina which is in the dimension at the center of dimensions. My people are called Dalcineans and we can travel between dimensions or 'dimension hop'. We've always been a peaceful people, but then one day a man named Kaibar gathered a bunch of followers and overthrew the Elders, making himself emperor. He destroyed our beautiful land and turned the people into slaves. Naturally, a rebellion rose up against him. I was one of the rebels. But Kaibar's army was too strong. One by one, he took down our rebel bases until soon there was only one left. My uncle was the leader of the last remaining base and, using a network of spies, he'd been gathering information to bring down Kaibar. When he got news that Kaibar's army was close to our base, he put all of the information on a chip and destroyed all other copies. He entrusted that chip to me just as Kaibar's army kicked down our door. I was just a child at the time, but I knew I had to keep the chip safe, so I fled to another dimension. Unfortunately, Kaibar's second-in-command followed me, so I've had to keep moving in order to avoid getting caught. His name is Jartho, but you know him as the Muggle Studies professor. Several decades have passed and I'm still fleeing. I heard that there were a few other rebels that escaped into other dimensions, but I've lost hope that I'll ever find any of them. You see, no one knows how many dimensions there are. It could be infinite. And I have no way of knowing which ones they're in. So I'm on my own, trying to figure out how to use the information on the chip to bring down Kaibar, but that task is nearly impossible without other Dalcineans to help me."

By the end, Maria was crying. Everyone was silent for a moment and then Albus threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"Wow, this is a lot to take in," said Rose.

"It's ok if you don't believe me," Maria said into Albus' shoulder.

"Of _course_ we believe you," Albus assured her, stepping back so he could look her in the eyes. "Right guys?"

"What kind of friends would we be if we didn't?" Rose answered.

"I have a question," said Lucille. "You said 'several decades have passed and I'm still fleeing'. Exactly how old are you?"

"Lucille!" Rose scolded.

"What?" Lucille replied defensively. "Don't tell me you're not curious. I also want to know what some of those other dimensions are like. I mean, think of all the things we could learn now that we know that there are other dimensions out there!"

"Lucille, your Ravenclaw is showing," said Albus.

"My Ravenclaw is _always_ showing and I'm proud of it!" Lucille retorted.

"Lucille's questions are fine," Maria assured them. "To be honest, I'd be concerned if you didn't have any questions. My real age is 137."

"Wow," said Albus. "Do you mind if I ask why you look eleven?"

"My age changes depending on which dimension I'm in so I can blend in," Maria replied. "When I came here I became eleven so I could come to Hogwarts. Thatcher comes with me and the type of animal he is changes, too." She reached over to stroke his feathers and he hooted in content.

"What are some of the other dimensions like?" Lucille asked eagerly.

"Well, I just came from a dimension that is just like this one except that there are no witches and wizards or magical creatures. There're just muggles and regular animals. And all of their 'fictional' books and shows and stories are about things that are real in other dimensions. I like to name the dimensions I go to so I can keep track of them, so I named that one the Science Dimension since everything there followed 'the laws of physics' and there was no real magic."

"Guys, we should probably get going," said Rose. "It's getting dark outside."

They all looked around and sure enough, the light was fading from the cracks between the boards on the windows.

"Maria," said Albus. "How easily do you think it will be for Jartho to recognize you?"

"Well, he hasn't noticed me yet," Maria answered, "but it's only a matter of time. This may be the youngest I've ever appeared, but I don't look that much different."

"Ok," he replied. "Well, we can probably just go back to the school and go to bed for tonight, but tomorrow we need to figure out how to get you safely into another dimension without him noticing."

"Yeah," said Rose. "Do you have some sort of device or something that you use to dimension hop? If you need to, you can come here to use it and we can cover for you."

"That's a good idea," Lucille agreed. "But of course you won't be able to do it until tomorrow. Right now we need to get back to the school so you can rest and get your stuff."

"You guys are the best!" said Maria, drawing all three of them in for a group hug. "I can't believe I found such good friends here!"


	5. Chapter 5: Run

Chapter 5: Run

Just as they were starting to walk back up the tunnel, they heard a shuffling noise ahead of them, like someone was running up the passage away from them.

"Who's there?" Albus called, lighting up his wand and running ahead. Farther along the passage they could see a shadowy figure. Albus ran to catch up with them and managed to grab the person by the arm. Turning him around, he shined his light in the mystery person's face. "It's Malfoy!" he announced.

"Scorpius, what are you doing here?" Rose demanded. They all ran up the passage to catch up to Albus and Scorpius.

"You guys looked suspicious when you left the castle so I followed you," he said.

"How much did you hear?" Maria asked.

"Enough," he answered. "Enough to know that you're all crazy. I can't believe you all believed her story! She's obviously insane and you guys must be too since you actually believe her."

"You have to promise not to tell anyone!" Maria told him.

"Who would believe me if I did?"

"I don't care if you don't believe me, but you have to promise not to tell! This is serious!"

"Alright! Alright! I promise!"

"Good. Now let's get back to the castle before we get in trouble."

As they crossed the grounds to the castle, Maria told them the plan.

"We need to keep Jartho distracted while I dimension hop because hopping leaves a trace and if he finds the place where I hopped with a few hours after I've done it, then he can follow the trace and figure out which dimension I've gone to. You'll each have a part in keeping Jartho distracted, so tonight I'll write your parts out for you and have Thatcher deliver them."

"I want to help, too," said Scorpius.

"Really?" Maria asked incredulously.

"Yeah. How often do you find a good excuse to mess with a teacher?"

Maria smiled. "Alright, you can help. Now let's hurry and get to our common rooms before we get caught."

Back in her dormitory, Maria stayed up late coming up with an elaborate plan to make sure Jartho was nowhere near her when she hopped. She wrote out a copy for each of her friends and had Thatcher deliver them, just like she said she would. By the time she was finished, it was nearly three in the morning.

Maria sighed and laid down, but she couldn't sleep. Tomorrow she was going to have to leave Hogwarts forever. In the few shorts months that she'd been there, Hogwarts had started to feel like home. She was going to miss the old stone walls, the Great Hall's enchanted ceiling, the cozy Hufflepuff common room, the large, grassy grounds. She was going to miss all of her magical classes and her teachers—especially Professor Longbottom and Hagrid. But most of all she would miss her friends. Lucille was the first friend she'd made in this dimension. Rose was so sweet and kind. And Albus was always so brave and big-hearted. Even Scorpius wasn't so bad once you got to know him. Tears streamed silently down Maria's face as she thought of all the things she was going to have to leave behind in this dimension. Eventually she was able to drift off to sleep, even if it was only for a few hours.

"Oh good! You're up!" Albus said when he saw her in the Entrance Hall the next morning. "We were worried. Go and get something to eat real quick. We'll wait out here."

Maria trotted into the Great Hall and snatched a piece of toast off the table, taking it with her back into the Entrance Hall. She wasn't really hungry, but she knew she had to eat something if she was going to dimension hop later.

"Ok, do you all know your parts?" she asked. They nodded. "Ok then let's go."

Everybody split up, off to their separate stations. Maria ran down the stairs and into the common room where she'd left her trunk, all packed up and ready to go. Making sure the coast was clear, she dragged it up the stairs and back into the Entrance Hall where Albus was waiting for her.

"You ready?" he asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she replied. "You got the cloak?"

"Yeah," he said. "I nicked it from James' trunk this morning before he woke up." He pulled a beautiful cloak out from under his robes and threw it over the trunk. The trunk instantly disappeared, just like he'd said it would.

"Brilliant," said Maria. She'd been a bit worried about how suspicious it would look if she lugged her trunk across the grounds. But then Albus told her about the cloak and she'd felt much better. It seemed like everything was going as planned.

They walked through the front doors and out onto the grounds together. It was Albus' job to make sure she got to the Whomping Willow safely and then keep guard on the grounds and redirect Jartho if he happened to come in that direction.

They made it to the Willow and Thatcher flew over and pecked the knot just like he'd done before. The small movements in the tree's branches suddenly stopped as the tree froze into place. Maria was about to start on her way to the tunnel when Albus grabbed her hand and stopped her.

"Wait," he said. "Am I ever going to see you again?"

"Probably not," Maria admitted. "But thank you. For everything." She gave him a small smile and then leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodbye, Albus," she whispered, giving his hand a small squeeze before dropping it and jogging over to the tunnel.

Albus stood there for a minute and watched her disappear into the tunnel. Then he turned to walk back towards the castle doors. But when he turned around he saw something that made his heart stop. Jartho was walking quickly towards him across the grounds.

"Good morning, Professor!" Albus greeted him, attempting to sound cheery.

"Don't bother," Jartho sneered. "I already know who the girl is and I just saw her disappear down that hole. Now get out of my way."

"No! I won't let you!" Albus cried, planting himself directly in Jartho's path.

"Get out of my way, boy!" he yelled, swinging his arm and back-handedly slapping Albus across the face, knocking him aside.

"No!" Albus cried as Jartho continued forward. "Stop!" Albus ran forward and grabbed onto Jartho's leg causing him to trip and fall to the ground. Then Albus scrambled forward, trying to get to the tunnel so he could warn Maria.

"I've had enough of your nonsense, boy!" Jartho cried and with a wave of his wand, he used the leg-locker curse and Albus' legs stuck together, causing him to fall flat on his face. "Now stay out of my way!"

"Maria!" Albus screamed as Jartho stepped over him. "Maria, if you can hear me, run! Run, Maria, he's coming!"

Just then Albus heard a rustling noise as the tree came back to life. As quickly as possible, he laid himself flat on his stomach and covered his head with his hands. Just in time, too, because just then a huge branch swung over him and whacked right into Jartho.

"Aaargh!" he cried, standing up and causing the tree to stand still with a wave of his wand. He kicked Albus in the stomach on his way over to the tunnel and disappeared into it.

Meanwhile Maria had been traveling down the passage on her way to the Shrieking Shack. After a few minutes she started hearing yelling coming from back towards the castle. She broke into a run, trying to get to the Shack as quickly as possible. She burst into the room at the end of the tunnel and took out her dimension hopper. It was basically a little, round, metal disk with writing around the rim in Dalcinean and a small knob in the middle.

"You ready?" she asked Thatcher. He hooted his assurance and perched himself on her shoulder. "Alright, let's go." She twisted the knob and disappeared just after seeing a glimpse of Jartho running into the room.

The next adventure Maria goes on will be in the BBC Sherlock dimension, so it can be found in that category.


End file.
